Abstract
Layered molybdenum diselenide (MoSe
2
) nanosheets were formed by the weak Van der Waals forces of attraction between Se and Mo atoms. MoSe
2
has a larger space between the adjacent layers and smaller band gaps in the range of 0.85 to ~ 1.6 eV. In this study, MoSe
2
nanosheets decorated nickel oxide (NiO) nanorods have been synthesized by hydrothermal method using sodium molybdate and selenium metal powder. NiO/MoSe
2
composite formation was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction analysis. In addition, the presence of MoSe
2
nanosheets on NiO nanorods were confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Nyquist plots of NiO/MoSe
2
coated glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was indicated that it had lower charge transfer resistance compared to NiO/GCE and MoSe
2
/GCE. Furthermore, as-prepared NiO/MoSe
2
/GCE was used to detect glucose in alkaline solution by cyclic voltammetry and amperometry techniques. The NiO/MoSe
2
/GCE was exhibited a linear response for the oxidation of glucose from 50 µM to 15.5 mM (R
2
= 0.9842) at 0.5 V by amperometry. The sensor response time and the limit of detection were found to be 2 s and 0.6 µM for glucose. Moreover, selectivity of the NiO/MoSe
2
sensor was tested in the presence of common interferent molecules such as hydrogen peroxide, fructose, lactose, ascorbic acid, uric acid, and dopamine. It was found that NiO/MoSe
2
/GCE did not respond to these interfering biomolecules. In addition, NiO/MoSe
2
/GCE had shown high stability, reproducibility and repeatability. Finally, the practical application of the sensor was demonstrated by detecting glucose in human blood serum with the acceptable recovery.